Team News - PSAC Championship Possibilities

After Saturday's one-point loss to Bloomsburg, the Golden Rams no longer control their destiny for the post season. If you haven't noticed, there's currently a four-way tie for first place in the PSAC East, with Bloomsburg, Kutztown, Shippensburg, and West Chester all owning a 3-1 record within the division. The PSAC clearly outlines its tiebreaking procedure in its football handbook, so let's look at how it applies to the current season as of today.

Known:
Head-to-head

West Chester defeated Kutztown

West Chester defeated Shippensburg

Bloomsburg defeated West Chester

Records against the PSAC West:

Bloomsburg (2-0) (Clarion, Gannon)

Shippensburg (2-0) (Gannon, Clarion)

Kutztown (2-0) (Mercyhurst, Seton Hill)

West Chester (1-1) (Slippery Rock, Edinboro)

To be determined:

10/28 Shippensburg at Kutztown

11/04 Bloomsburg at Shippensburg

Scenarios:
First, everything below assumes that West Chester wins their remaining games (Cheyney, East Stroudsburg, Millersville).

Next, consider the worst case scenario that Bloomsburg wins their remaining games (East Stroudsburg, Lock Haven, Shippensburg).

Scenario 1 - If Shippensburg beats Kutztown, then Bloomsburg wins the PSAC East.

In this scenario, Bloomsburg and West Chester both finish 6-1 and Bloomsburg would represent the East due to their head-to-head result. Kutztown would finish 5-2 at best (losses to West Chester and Shippensburg) and Shippensburg would finish 5-2 (losses to West Chester and Bloomsburg).

Scenario 2 - If Kutztown beats Shippensburg, then Kutztown wins the PSAC East.

In this scenario, Bloomsburg, West Chester and Kutztown all finish 6-1. Since Bloomsburg beat West Chester, West Chester beat Kutztown, and Kutztown beat Bloomsburg, the head-to-head tiebreaker doesn't solve anything. The next tiebreaker is each team's record against each remaining team in the division from fourth place on down. Since under this scenario, all three teams involved in the tie are 6-1, then this tiebreaker solves nothing. The third tiebreaker is overall record in all mandated conference games (divisional and crossovers). This would eliminate West Chester due to their loss at Slippery Rock. The first tiebreaker would then be re-applied to the remaining teams and Kutztown would represent the East due to their head-to-head win over Bloomsburg.

The conclusion is that in order for West Chester to advance the PSAC Championship, the Golden Rams need to win their remaining three games and need Bloomsburg to lose at least one of their remaining three games to East Stroudsburg, Lock Haven or Shippensburg. The outcome of the Shippensburg-Kutztown game is actually of no consequence to West Chester since the Golden Rams own the head-to-head tiebreaker over both of those teams. If that were to happen, the finish in the PSAC East would be:

1. West Chester 6-1
2. Winner of Kutztown/Shippensburg 6-1
3. Loser of Kutztown/Shippensburg 5-2
4. Bloomsburg 5-2 or worse

Obviously the only thing that West Chester can control is their next three games. But fans will also be watching the out-of-town scoreboard with the possibility of the Golden Rams' fate not being determined until after 4:00 pm on November 4.